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Gay Teen Rejected by Parents Gets Donations for Georgetown

An 18-year-old from Florida was all set to attend Georgetown University with a partial scholarship. Then, his parents learned he was gay, kicked him out and said they wouldn't pay the remainder of his tution. News4's Mark Segraves tell how Seth Owen's "chosen community" stepped up to help.

(Published Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018)

A high school valedictorian with dreams of going to Georgetown University suddenly found himself homeless, with his college dream slipping away.

Seth Owen says his parents kicked him out and refused to pay his college tuition after they learned he was gay. But his "chosen family" stepped up to help him, starting a tuition fund that had raised more than $95,000 as of Wednesday evening.

Owen, 18, said he was devastated to be rejected by his parents and made to go to gay conversion therapy in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

The star student's father suspected his son was gay after scrolling through his phone and seeing a photo. Owen said the photo wasn't "inappropriate," but it was enough to raise questions for his dad.

His parents, strict Christians, questioned him for hours. They sent him to their Baptist church for therapy. When Owen told his parents the therapy didn't change his sexual orientation, they kicked him out.

Owen was accepted to Georgetown and received a partial scholarship. But he still had a $22,000 annual bill and no idea how to pay it.

The university declined to comment on Owen's case but said in a statement that they "work closely with students whose financial circumstances change after admission to modify financial aid assistance and ensure they can still enroll regardless of their ability to pay.”

If Georgetown reverses their decision or if the fund raises more than Owen needs, he said he plans to use the money to help young people in similar situations.